St Aidan's College

2011-12 was a key year in the development of our research-related activities. Our relationship with the IHRR was consolidated and some specific projects are now taking shape for 2012-13 with Prof. Dave Petley (Workshop on Resilience, focused on North East communities in the current financial crisis) and Prof. Lena Dominelli (establishing a regular Forum where researchers, practitioners and ngos associated with the Prison system can debate key policy issues, exchange good practice and generate collaborative research projects). The new Director of the IHRR is Prof. Sarah Curtis (Geography) and we aim to take forward other projects this year related to postdoctoral and postgraduate experience.

 

In July, Aidan’s funded and hosted a very successful conference on ‘Diasporic Jewish Security’, organised by Dr. Ilan Baron (SGIA) and will continue to collaborate with other areas of the University to establish a Centre for Jewish Studies. We also part-funded the first ever UK PG Anglo-Saxon/Norse Conference, organised by David Varley (PG, Aidan’s), which was very well received and has now become an annual event, to be hosted in turn by each of the participating Universities.

 

Lilian Nabulime, a Commonwealth Fellow, sculptor, academic and HIV-AIDS Educator  from Uganda, who is working with Prof. Cheryl McEwan (Geography), resided in Aidan’s for six months and contributed greatly to our community and to the region. During her stay, she made valuable contacts within the Centre for the Medical Humanities. Our student community will fundraise to support her projects in Uganda and we hope to pursue funding to bring her back to Durham.

 

The invited speakers to our Politics Café, Science Café,  and Dialogue Forum ranged across disciplines and attracted an equally diverse public of students, post docs, staff, practitioners of all kinds and members of regional communities.

 

2012-13 This term we welcomed Dr. Joao Pedro Chopo (CESEM, Lisbon) to Aidan’s, to work with Prof. Max Paddison (Music). Aidan’s is also hosting IAS/Co-Fund Visiting Fellows this year. Our next arrival is Professor Ashwini Nangia (Chemistry).

 

Our Jewish Studies Fellow for 2012-13 is Rabbi Danny Rich, who will be resident in the Epiphany term, who will also collaborate with Dr. Ilan Baron and contribute to our discussions for the Centre for Jewish Studies.  

 

In October we established a special link with the Centre for Sex, Gender and Sexualities, whose first annual PG workshop we hosted in July. The CSGS Seminar Series (poster attached) is now running in Aidan’s and we hold fortnightly gatherings in the SCR, of affiliates and other interested people from both inside and outside the University. The aim is to develop a hub of interconnected activities, including interdisciplinary research projects, community engagement projects and regional Forums.

 

Aidan’s has 250 full-time and around 400 part-time and distance learner postgraduates, across all disciplines and from around the world. Many have contributed talks to the highly successful Postgraduate Seminar hosted by Ustinov College and our joint SCR-MCR is establishing a local seminar series in January 2013. All of our cultural forums are run by small steering groups which include postgraduate and undergraduate members.